To Die For
by FastForward
Summary: Contest entry. AU. Sakura and Kakashi are on the run from enemies, stuck in their territory with no weapons, no bandages, and no communication with their base. What now?


**A/N: This is for a contest entry on DA. It's a KakaSaku AU fic. I hope you all like it. :smiles: **

**Disclaimer: Kakashi WANTS to be mine! He really, really does! But K. Masashi is mean and won't share him. **

* * *

To Die For.

Sakura Haruno breathed hard as she pressed herself back against one of the trees. She was covered in blood that was not her own, mud caked her sleeveless shirt, and her gun was one bullet shy of being empty. She knew it as well as she knew herself: there was no way she was getting out of this alive. No way in all of heaven or hell.

A groan from beside her caused her head to snap towards the person who'd caused it. She hastily knelt down beside her best friend, checking him over. His wound was bad, and chances were, he wasn't going to make it. But Sakura didn't care. She was _not_ leaving him behind.

Kakashi Hatake was just about the most important person to her other than her parents. Since the two of them had died back in the 2015 revolution, that pushed him to the top of her list. He was her best friend. Her brother. Her mentor. And most importantly, he was the only man Sakura had ever loved.

"Leave me here." Kakashi gasped out before groaning, his hand clutching at the large wound in his stomach. "You'll never get back with me slowing you down."

"I don't know if you're crazy, or just stupid." Sakura sighed as she holstered her gun and bent down to pull the grey-haired man to his feet.

"Well, you usually call me a crazy idiot, so that would constitute as both." Kakashi attempted to joke before he inhaled sharply.

"I guess so." Sakura said in a small voice as she flung one of his arms over her shoulders and started dragging him through the thick trees.

It had been a simple mission, really. The resistance group against the new world had sent in a team of four to neutralize the enemy's main base. The enemy were from a place they called 'The Sound'. Nobody quite knew why, but they'd appeared out of nowhere and began to enslave the other people. This did not go over well for the Fire Country, the old supreme power.

The Fire Country had been a peaceful place where everyone was treated fairly, and wars were averted easily by means of diplomacy. As soon as The Sound came, all of that disappeared like it had never happened.

Now, in the desolate age of 2022, the few who'd managed to escape the enslavement were fighting back. Led by the ever-famous Tsunade Sannin, the groups of the resistance were fighting hard to gain back what was theirs. But of course, it was hard to win against an enemy with such superior firepower. While the resistance only had normal guns and bullets, those from The Sound had laser guns and plasma cannons. It was hard to fight against something so advanced.

But they never gave up. Even today, with the mission that had gone horribly wrong, they'd all gone in, guns blazing, and completed their objective. It was true, the small team of four _had_ blown up the base—but that was only one base, compared to the hundreds, if not, thousands of other bases The Sound had. And to top it off, they were the four best. Tsunade's favourites. And now, two of them were dead, one was fatally wounded, and the last one was struggling to not get killed. Things were looking very bad for the resistance.

* * *

Sakura breathed hard as she struggled to continue walking with Kakashi. He was weighing her down like nothing she'd ever imagined, but she was _not_ leaving him behind. She would rather die alongside him than leave him to be tortured and eventually killed. She'd already lost Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha today, and she was _not_ losing Kakashi. The four of them were like a family, and to already be down to two—Sakura forced tears back. It wouldn't do to cry right now. She had to get them out of enemy territory. 

"Sakura." Kakashi wheezed. "We should stop. You need to take a break."

"They're still following." she grunted.

"You'll kill yourself." he insisted.

"So what?" she panted. She stumbled slightly, but regained her balance. "I need to get you somewhere safe so I can treat your wound."

Kakashi stopped arguing after that. He'd known Sakura since she was born. She was stubborn, and bossy, and even if he outranked her, she would just tell him to shove his title up his ass. He knew her well enough not to even bother trying.

Half an hour later found them in a small clearing, shielded from enemy eyes by a bunch of huge boulders. Sakura laid Kakashi down, the older man groaning in pain.

"Oh, shut up, you've had it worse." Sakura snapped. She needed to snap to stop from crying.

She helped Kakashi out of his shirt, wincing as he hissed every time material brushed against his wound. Once he was free of his shirt, she bent down and inspected his wound.

"It's deep, but I don't think it hit any vital organs."

"Yippee." Kakashi muttered sarcastically before groaning as Sakura applied pressure to his wound.

"We have to stop the bleeding." she insisted as she looked around. Naruto had been carrying their first aid kit. All they had now were Kakashi's shirts. They would have to do.

"Sakura, seriously." Kakashi wheezed. "Just leave me here."

"What have you been _breathing _today, because it sure as hell isn't air." Sakura muttered. "You know I'd never leave you behind. _Ever_."

"_Please_!" Kakashi grabbed her hands in one of his as she tended to his wound. She looked him in the eyes. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

"Don't be an idiot, nothing's going to happen to me." Sakura snapped as she pulled her hands free and proceeded to rip Kakashi's shirt. She tore it into strips, tying two of them together like a make-shift bandage before wrapping it around Kakashi's torso.

"Why are you always so damn stubborn, Haruno?" Kakashi sighed, wincing at the pain, but not making a sound.

"Because you would've been dead a long time ago if I listened to your idiotic reasoning, Hatake." she spat back, continuing to patch him up.

"Crazy, an idiot, stupid—my, you sure have a way with words." Kakashi let out a small cry and Sakura flinched at the sound.

"Sorry."

"Not a problem. I'm used to you kicking me around." He offered her a weak smile. She smiled in return.

"Expect me to kick your ass when we get home for all your idiotic delusions and orders of me leaving you behind."

"Great. Something to look forward to." Kakashi replied sarcastically. Sakura smiled sweetly at the disgruntled look on the man's face.

The two of them stayed where they were for a while, Kakashi staring off into the distance with his head on Sakura's thigh—she'd moved it there after having treated his wound. The pink-haired woman ran her right hand soothingly through Kakashi's hair, watching two robins as they flew through the trees. Sitting there, like that, made Sakura feel like there wasn't a war going on at all. It was peaceful, and relaxing. And, to be honest—it was kind of romantic.

"Hey, Sakura?"

"Mm?"

"What do you think life would've been like?" Kakashi asked as he watched the same birds Sakura was. "You know, if this whole war hadn't happened. I really can't see myself just settling down and having a steady job. It's almost like—I knew I was meant to be a soldier."

"Don't be stupid." Sakura whispered. "You're too loving to be a killing machine."

"And yet, here I am." He gave her a sly grin, Sakura just shaking her head.

"What you _are_, is an idiot."

"And again with the insults." Kakashi sighed. "Why do you always insult me?"

"Because I know why you really joined the war." Sakura whispered, her hands halting in their actions. She was staring off into the trees, not really looking at anything in particular. "I know why you're lying here, probably about to bleed to death."

"And why is that?" Kakashi whispered back.

"Because I was stupid enough to join the resistance." Kakashi lowered his eyes, not wanting to look at her. "That's it, isn't it? The reason you joined in the first place. For me."

"I promised your parents I wouldn't let you go off and do something stupid that would get you killed." he whispered.

"So instead of talking me out of it, you decided to join me?" Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You really _are_ an idiot, Kakashi."

The two sat in silence once again, neither knowing what to say to the other. Sakura found it kind of sweet Kakashi had joined to keep her safe, but she found him equally stupid for the same reason.

A branch snapped behind them and both of their heads shot in that direction. _Oh no, we've lingered here too long,_ Sakura thought, panicked.

"We have to go." she whispered as she stood, helping Kakashi to his feet. He grabbed her hand.

"Sakura, listen to me, I'll only slow you down. Please, just get out of here."

"No." she hissed angrily.

She shuffled forward with Kakashi, helping him walk as fast as he could, making their way hurriedly through the trees.

"Have you been able to contact the base?" Kakashi whispered as they moved.

"Sasuke and I traded the radio right before the operation." she whispered back. "I don't have it."

"Shit." Kakashi cursed.

The older man suddenly stumbled, causing Sakura to fall with him. "Kakashi, what's wrong?" she asked urgently as she noticed his eyes were closed. "Kakashi!" _Did he lose too much blood? Oh, God, is he dying?.!_

She heard rustling behind her and whipped around, her gun out and trained on the source of the noise. She still couldn't see through the trees, but she knew someone was there. She narrowed her eyes, waiting for them to strike.

Suddenly, what Sakura could only identify as a dart came flying at her. She dodged it, only to have it hit her in the arm instead of the face. Instantly, she felt woozy and fell backwards, passing out right beside Kakashi's prone form.

* * *

When Sakura awoke, she was in pain. Every single part of her body felt like it was on fire, and it took all she had not to scream. She didn't want to, because she knew it would just send sparks of pain down her throat. 

"So, you're alive." Her vision swam as she looked up at the owner of the voice, finding it to be the leader of the Sound. One Orochimaru.

"If your intent was to kill me, I would already be dead." she forced out through dry, chapped lips. How long had she been unconscious? "As that is not the case, I'm going to assume you have another purpose for keeping me alive."

"You're a smart girl." Orochimaru smirked as he took a seat in a chair that magically appeared behind him. That, or Sakura had missed it all along. She was hoping on the latter, or else she was going insane. "Now, you're going to tell me everything you know about Tsunade Sannin, and the base of the resistance."

"I have nothing to say." Sakura looked away, shifting gingerly, only to find her hands bound behind her back. _Wonderful, _she thought with a sigh.

"Are you sure about that?" Orochimaru smirked. Sakura just glared at him. The creepy man just shrugged before turning and motioning people forward. Two men moved into her cell, dragging a limp Kakashi between them.

"Kakashi!"

"Ah, so that is his name." Orochimaru turned so he was facing the grey-haired man. "Kakashi. We've been trying to get his name out of him since he woke up."

Kakashi looked up at Orochimaru with angry eyes, blood dribbling down his chin from a previous blow to the face. His left eye was also swollen shut, a gross purple-blue colour surrounding it.

Orochimaru turned back to Sakura. "Tell me what you know."

"I don't know anything." she grit out.

Kakashi screamed in agony as the man closest to him dug his fingers into the wound in his stomach. Sakura started to stand to go to him, but Orochimaru was out of his seat before she could move. He kicked her across the face and stepped down hard on her cheek, forcing her face into the ground. Kakashi and Sakura were at eye-level, now.

"I know you'll break before he will, little girl, so just make his life easier and tell me what you know."

As Sakura stared into Kakashi's pain-filled eyes, she opened her mouth to do just that when Kakashi stopped her.

"If you tell them _anything_ because of me, I will never forgive you!"

Sakura's words died in her throat as she stared at the determination in Kakashi's eyes. She knew it was true. If she told Orochimaru about their base, then everything they'd done to-date would be for nothing. Countless more would die, like Naruto and Sasuke. And those who had died already would've died in vain. Sakura couldn't let that happen. She _wouldn't_!

"I don't know anything." she bit out again.

"Fuck!" Orochimaru kicked her across the face. "Why do all of Tsunade's people have to be so _fucking stubborn_!"

"What shall we do with them, sir?" One of the men holding Kakashi asked as Sakura turned her face back to look at Kakashi, blood dribbling from her nose and down her chin.

"Take them out back and shoot them. Get them out of my sight."

"Sir."

Sakura's eyes widened but she didn't struggle as one of the men released Kakashi and walked up to her, grabbing her roughly by the hair to sit her up and then dragging her to her feet. The two men pulled Sakura and Kakashi out of the cell and outside, the pink-haired woman stumbling while Kakashi was just dragged, unable to even walk.

Once they were outside and around the back of the building, the man dragging Sakura forced her to a stop, Kakashi being stopped beside her.

Sakura couldn't help but shake as she was pulled roughly down to her knees, her hands still tied behind her back. The gun was pointed at her forehead as her breath came faster and faster.

"Hey, Sakura." Kakashi's voice said from beside her. She didn't want to risk getting her head blown off for turning it, so she merely looked sideways with her eyes. Kakashi had his head bowed, a gun also trained on him. They were going to die in five seconds, if that.

"Yeah?" the pink-haired woman asked in a small voice.

"It kind of sucks having to tell you this right here, at the end of it all, but—I love you."

A single tear fell from Sakura's right eye at the confession, a mere second before Kakashi's head was blown off. She hadn't even had the chance to say it back.

"I love you, too, Kakashi." she whispered as she closed her eyes.

The last sound Sakura Haruno ever heard was the sound of a gunshot.

THE END.

**

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Please don't hurt me. :cries:**


End file.
